The Brotherhood strikes back (Part 2)

The Muslim Brotherhood is both a religious and political group. Its fundamental belief is that Islam is not merely a religion, but a way of life. They want to export and extend that way of life across the Arab world; then, keeping to their belief, the world. It is a formal Islamic group and movement that represents a desire to return to the rules outlined in the Quran and a rejection of secularism. They believe that Islamic law is the purest and healthiest set of rules for families, communities, and nations.

This series is an attempt to understand the Muslim brotherhood, and its recent rise in Jordan. Here is part one.

Everyone thought the Muslim Brotherhood was on the outs, pushed out of Jordan. The central government views the Muslim Brotherhood like a contagion. It’s true in a sense; their ideas have power, and we’ve seen how those ideas can spread into something terrible. Egypt, under Morsi, fell to the control of the Muslim Brotherhood, an effort a long time in the making that came to fruition. They proved they can effectively wage a cultural and social campaign, and prevail. While their time was short lived, the world should heed the lessons learned in Egypt.

Today, Turkey is under siege to Muslim Brotherhood fanatics – or so their critics claim. But rumors are abound that they support Sunni extremist groups as an action arm to their political agenda against a Shia, as well as a Kurdish state. However, we can’t control Turkey, that’s for sure. And whether or not their behavior is with the best intentions is yet to be seen. Jordan is who we ought to be concerned about.

“In the second incident, on March 31, the governor of Amman informed MBG officials that because their group was not officially registered, they were prohibited from holding internal elections to select Shura Council members and a general overseer.” -AL Monitor

The MBG is able to rally support, both financial and legal to prop up the MBS in Jordan. To exact its political objectives the MBG seemingly rely on the IAF who boycotted the 2013 elections.

Yet, the Muslim Brotherhood has survived and moved forward via the IAF. Mainly due to the fact that Jordan, like many Arab nations, has transferred more power to the people. That power is the form of courts, legislative powers, and other democratic institutions.

The Islamic Action Front won seats instead of an official Muslim Brotherhood Group in the latest election.

The New York Times covered the vote and reported that “members of the political arm of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood won seats in Jordan’s Parliament in a symbolic comeback, and women increased their numbers in the legislature, according to results of parliamentary elections released on Thursday.

Jordan is pivotal for the Mideast. They represent sanity in the Middle East. They’re also the hub for those fleeing from areas ravaged by violence. Yet, the Muslim Brotherhood has won a substantial number of seats in their parliament at a time when the King has been preparing the kingdom to become more democratic post-Arab spring. The question is will Jordan ban the Muslim Brotherhood?”

This is how ideas survive, they aren’t quantifiable. They live on in the minds of believers. Anyone can ‘gate’ their own speech and thoughts to circumvent extremist ideologies and present yourself as part of the status quo. There’s no way to fight back an ideology. The more it is suppressed, the more its worldview confirmed and more extreme its believers become. If Jordan were to ban the Brotherhood it would only suppress the problem temporarily.

Either by design or not our presence in the Middle East along with globalization and its inter-connectivity sparked the Arab Spring. It began with a sense of economic disparity and a feeling of injustice. It’s good in that the Arab people want government more representative of their beliefs. However, it might not be government that we in the West want to come to be.

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Susan B

I just wanted to thank you, Norwood, for writing this article. I have learned so much, not just from your article but from all of the posts that help me to flesh out my thoughts on Jordan and its issues. Because of your article, I have delved deeper on my own and have gained a great respect for King Abdullah II and his nation. I certainly hope they can eradicate or control the Muslim Brotherhood before it becomes the cancer that could overtake and drastically change that nation if left unchecked.

Susan B

Wow...I am feeling overwhelmed with data Guido...and loving it. Thank you for such a thorough essay on what you feel are all the points leading to a fertile ground for the Muslim Brotherhood to dig. I begin to understand Jordan as a nation with a well-intentioned government that is dealing with a lot of the same seismic issues that are facing all long-term stabilized nations including the USA.
The difference being that they are also surrounded by a cauldron of nations (excepting Israel of course) as well as a massive refugee population that want them to jump into that cauldron with them. I certainly don't envy them their balancing act amid the turmoil. With a group like the Brotherhood steadily trying to erode their nation from within, as well as all the pressure from other nations (including the US) to get them to lead more heavily in other directions, the pressure on the monarchy and the parliament must be immense.

Guido R

Jordan is a country of refugees in the first place. The subsequent waves of refugees from 1948, then 1967, 1972 and 1982 have contributed to expanding both the labor force and the cities of Jordan. Prior to the latest influx of refugees, 85% of Jordan's population was of Palestinian descent. Palestinians have traditionally powered business and industry in Jordan. What is known as the native population of Jordan are, by and large, of bedouin therefore nomadic extraction. There are therefore few skills that the original population of Jordan can offer to a modern economy. Most "native" Jordanians are therefore employed in the armed forces and security services.
Jordan is still greatly benefitting from King Hussein's legacy to a great extent. Essentially, King Hussein understood the limitations of his country and his people. The absence of natural resources and a population of only 2 or 3 million did not allow for much scope for development. King Hussein however, ensured that the entire country had access to a modicum of infrastructure. Roads, electricity and water distribution, clinics and hospitals and schools were always accessible to even the most remotely located family. If a government school was not available in the vicinity, then an army school would be within reach.
Undoubtedly, King Hussein's foresight and benevolence (all be it in a situation where he was trying to impose a modern state on a native population of nomads) allowed Jordan to become an intellectual and technical "powerhouse" of sorts. From the late 60s all through the 80s, Jordanians (though mostly of Palestinian origin), went on to power business and industry in the Gulf countries. Jordan exported hundreds of thousands teachers, engineers and doctors.
For many years therefore, one of Jordan's most prosperous industries consisted of remittances from expatriate workers.
This revenue stream took a first hit during the first gulf war when many Jordanians were expelled from Kuwait and the Gulf in general.
The second hit to remittances began with the financial crisis of 2008. Since then, the crisis that spread throughout the USA and Europe has brought many Jordanians back home.
Then came the latest oil shock that along with the still developing economic crisis in the West is bringing even more Jordanians back home including from the Gulf and, especially, Saudi Arabia.
The Jordanian economy has not really developed over the past 15 years however. Stifling fiscality and a regulatory environment that is ever changing make it difficult to establish new ventures or expanding current business. Too, fiscality and a byzantine and largely corrupt customs department make consumer goods expensive. In many cases, unnecessarily so.
From 2000 Jordan like any other country in the world, has been the subject of intense real estate development. This was brought about by a combination of lose monetary policy in the West as well as by the hundreds of millions of Dollars that were distributed in bagfuls of cash by the US army to various factions and chieftains in Iraq.
At present, Jordan is also enjoying an unprecedented amount of money pouring into the country because the West's machinery seems to have discovered Jordan for their base of operations.
Since the beginning of the second Gulf war, the US and Nato have poured material and personnel into the country. This trend has even accelerated since 2010. Also, all UN offices that have closed in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and Syria have relocated to Jordan. Similarly, since the Syria war, sundry NGOs have debarked in the country too.
This new phenomenon has brought dozen of thousands expatriates along with the need for logistics and life support.
This unprecedented wall of money however is being spent at a very superficial level and in many cases does not even stay in the country.
The real economy, what little exists in agriculture and potash production however, is pretty much dead in the water.
So, now this all has to be balanced somehow.
Syrian refugees could actually be a wonderful resource for Jordan. Syrians are skilled craftsmen and also have an agricultural heritage that could be harnessed for the better replacing the unskilled and improvised Egyptian labour.
In time, the latest refugee camps will very likely be absorbed like all previous camps and become suburbs of the adjacent towns.
But the amount of returning Jordanians feel shortchanged not because of the refugees but because they are coming back to an economy that is hamstrung and does not provide them with the opportunities they have been used to finding in foreign countries like the Gulf or the USA.
Too, the millions of undocumented labourers pinging around the country are indeed feeling the pressure from the new refugees.
Regional instability and a duplicitous West add nothing positive to this seething brew.
Add to that for some unknown reason, right in the midst of social and religious tensions in the region, the government of Jordan has decided to revamp the scholastic curriculum of government schools by eliminating all references to religion in school books. Really?! Do they really have to do that now!? At this particular juncture!?!
So, make of it what you will

Susan B

Many people will not understand how threatening removal of that cigarette subsidy would be. As a past smoker for a million years, I know that I would have been extremely hostile to someone that threatened my ability to continue smoking. After all, it is a drug with very strong effects on the mood. In my opinion, people will purchase cigs before food if they had to choose. I've seen more people bumming cigarettes than I have food. Glad I quit. Finally!

Susan B

So the Brotherhood will gain by tapping into the angst created by overcrowding and too much idle time breeding future revolutionaries? In our country we get a very small taste of how a lot of people feel about the immigrants here. Much of the "unrest" is provoked by them allegedly receiving "benefits" meant for our own citizens, as well as taking jobs away from our own citizens, for criminal activity, and for isolating within their own enclaves that aren't readily absorbing into our culture. I imagine if the "Muslim Brotherhood" party offers to cure those problems in Jordan, most will find that bait attractive.